Marcos's figure slowly emerged from behind Erik. [AN: Marcos Diaz, also known as Eclipse]
When Lorna saw her boyfriend, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
"Well done."
Marcos's face, however, was full of hesitation and conflict.
When Lorna told him the plan, he was strongly opposed to it. But he couldn't resist the fact that she was his girlfriend.
In the end, he chose to stand by her side.
After knocking Erik unconscious, Marcos, feeling dejected and uneasy, walked over to Lorna, hoping for some emotional comfort.
But to his surprise, Lorna took a few steps back and pulled out a small red metallic spider.
"Let's control him first."
With those words, she pressed a button on the red spider, activating it as it aimed itself at Erik.
This was the Umbrella Corporation's advanced control spider, inspired by the one used in "Resident Evil" to manipulate allies.
However, this spider had a glaring flaw—it was easily detected and removed.
After a few seconds of scanning, the spider leaped onto Erik's chest. Its legs pierced into his chest, locking it firmly in place, while a tube extended from its abdomen, burrowing deeply inside.
Moments later, a faint red glow appeared on the spider's back, signaling the completion of the control process. This made Lorna exhale in relief.
In truth, if Erik had been willing to cooperate, she wouldn't have resorted to such a method. But her father was simply too stubborn.
"Lorna, isn't this... wrong?"
Hearing her boyfriend's words, Lorna glanced at him with confusion, "What we're doing is for the good of mutants. My father will understand."
"But is this plan really viable?"
"Look, my father is already under control, isn't he?"
Seeing Lorna's calm and indifferent demeanor, Marcos felt a chill run down his spine.
"Lorna, I feel like I don't know you anymore…"
"Don't know me?"
"Yes. You used to be so kind. You would never have done something like this…"
"Kind? And what did that get me?
Because of kindness, I had to flee to Egypt to survive, where I met Apocalypse.
Because of kindness, I kept helping humans, even secretly defying Apocalypse's orders.
Because of kindness, I turned against Apocalypse and sided with humanity to fight him.
In that battle, my father and I gave our all, sacrificing more than anyone else.
And what was the result?
The Mutant Registration Act. You and I had to reveal our powers and weaknesses.
If not for joining S.H.I.E.L.D., we'd be forced to wear tracking anklets or bracelets! What's the point of kindness like that?"
"But hasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. treated us well? There's no discrimination here, and everyone gets along peacefully. I think this model will eventually spread to the general public."
At the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D., Lorna sneered.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.? Ha! They may not openly discriminate against us, but behind the scenes, they're constantly guarding against us.
Why else would they manufacture vibranium guns and bullets? Isn't it to deal with me?"
"They're making vibranium guns and bullets? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. He showed me the documents himself, detailing everything."
"He? Who? What happened the night you went to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Who did you meet, and why have you changed so much since then?"
"You don't need to know who he is. Just know that he would never harm me."
"You... fine. But we can't sacrifice so many innocent people…"
"What other choice do we have? Without pain, humanity won't back down. Enough arguing. Take my father back and order all mutants to follow my commands."
Seeing the fervor in Lorna's eyes, as if she were a zealot, Marcos knew further argument was pointless.
Lowering his head, he pushed Erik away.
Watching Marcos's defeated figure retreat, a look of disdain flickered in Lorna's eyes.
'This man is so ordinary, so cowardly and unambitious. He's completely unworthy of me. How could I have ever been so blind, thinking he was kind, gentle, and manly?'
'Compared to Adam, he is just garbage.'
But for now, she still needed Marcos's cooperation. After some thought, she flew out of the camp, past the blockade.
A short while later, several split-faced zombies appeared before her.
If one looked closely, they would notice these zombies were once mutants who had been killed by a mutated zombie the night before.
Each of their chests bore a red metallic spider, firmly attached, controlling their minds.
"Use your powers," Lorna commanded.
The mutant zombies growled and immediately began using their abilities.
*Roar…*
"Hunger…"
But after observing for a while, Lorna frowned deeply.
"This isn't right. Their powers haven't increased; they've weakened. But that mutated zombie leader's abilities increased a hundredfold."
"Could it be because they haven't replenished their energy?"
To keep the zombies under her control, she hadn't let them leave her side, denying them the chance to feed.
After pondering for a moment, she issued a new command, allowing them to go out and replenish their energy.
She then returned to the camp to prepare her next plan.
........
As the sky brightened, the situation in Ruttebay City grew increasingly dire.
Reconnaissance drones had reported that the zombie horde was now only about ten kilometers away. This meant the horde would reach them within a few hours.
The news sent everyone into a frenzy, preparing for battle.
Meanwhile, in the deserts near Arne City, the mutated zombie leader wandered aimlessly among the horde.
Though the leader had some intelligence, it wasn't advanced enough to plan or strategize. It could only control a portion of the horde, not all of it.
The rest of the zombies surged forward, driven by hunger.
As the leader roamed, several robots suddenly emerged from the surrounding sands.
"Rat-a-tat-tat…"
The robots opened fire, but their bullets couldn't penetrate the leader's defenses. The next moment, a beam of light flashed, slicing all the robots in half.
Although the robots were destroyed, the assault wasn't over.
Soon, a group of people in green bodysuits surfaced from the sand, spraying the leader with green acid.
The acid hissed as it hit the sand, causing chemical reactions. But when it struck the leader, it merely passed through an illusion.
The leader had used light refraction to project a false image of itself, deceiving its attackers.
The next second, another beam of light flashed, dismembering the attackers.
However, more ambushers soon emerged…
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